A synopsis of my thinking around CA State propositions
PROPOSITION 51 – School Bonds
NO – Don’t issue $9B (actually $17B) in bonds for school repairs. It’s a bad investment, there are better ways to fund repairs at a local level, & the money won’t likely go to the schools who need it.
YES – Prevent the state legislature from inappropriately redirecting Federal funds for medical services into the general fund without taxpayer approval.
YES – Any project requiring $2B in Revenue Bond debt should always be approved by CA state citizens. Local projects will always be below $2B and unaffected by Prop 53.
YES – This is about accountability. There’s absolutely no reason to not educate the public about bills being proposed at any time – much less 3 days before a vote. No reason to not provide video tape of discussions unless there’s something to hide.
YES – We need the funding for a state ranked 40th out of 50 in education, and received an “F” in spending per pupil, and a “B” in equity and that’s with the CURRENT tax in place. Without it, the implications are scary around how far we could sink. http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2016/2016-state-report-cards-map.html
YES – Help fund Medi-Cal, smoking reduction, cops, & tobacco research. (And BTW it’s only Big Tobacco that’s against it. It’s supported by American Cancer Soc, American Heart Ass., and American Lung Ass.)
YES – Prosecutors with agendas should never determine if minors are tried as adults – Judges should. And early parole for non-violent offenders is going to happen anyway because the prisons are FULL & there’s a federal mandate that we reduce the prisons anyway.
YES – Greater flexibility in language instruction is good where it’s needed. Preventing folks from teaching two languages simultaneously via directive is restrictive & doesn’t consider situations on a case by case basis. Let the schools & parents decide what’s best.
YES – Corporations may influence folks but are not people, are not entitled to “free speech” & shouldn’t have a direct say in our political system through limitless funding/lobbying.
YES – The state should license & regulate the porn industry. If you think porn producers are concerned about their actors, you’re fooling yourself. No, the industry will NOT moving out of CA – the land of beaches & sun, like opponents say – that’s absurd.
YES – CA state drug prices shouldn’t be any higher than the Vas negotiated rate. Lower prices = higher purchase volumes, yet no one is explaining how increased volume of drug purchases from CA is going to somehow result in higher FEDERALLY-NEGOTIATED VA drug prices. Besides, we’re doing what’s best for the state here.
YES – It’s been 10yrs since an execution because of $150M in appeals fees charged to the state of CA. Additionally, people are released from prison on new evidence all the time: The death penalty ends this by killing innocents – that’s wrong. Life without parole is enough.
YES – If you can’t wait for a background check on an ammo sale, you definitely need a background check. Owning a large capacity magazine would now be a charge that law enforcement can use against serious criminals.
YES – It’s not for me but criminalizing & jailing people for it is ludicrous when everyone gets it anyway, it’s no worse than alcohol, so why not tax it & help fund CA with $1B in projected revenues? The only people against this are actual drug smugglers & folks with a vested interest in using drug laws against citizens – and I’ll let you figure out what that means.
NO – This proposition was initiated by companies that make plastic bags to prevent grocery stores from profiting on the sale of reusable bags. (Reusable bag proceeds must got to the state per this proposition & not to the grocery store)
YES – We’ve transitioned past environmentally dnagerous plastic bags with reusables instead. The only folks fighting against this are plastic bag companies.
Measure A – LA County Property Tax Increase for Parks, Beaches and Open Space
NO – Any property tax increase, no matter what the size is ridiculous considering our current property taxes in LA County are already horrendous because of the 3rd highest avg home values among US states (https://www.trulia.com/home_prices/) & RE tax rate of .81%. (https://www.trulia.com/home_prices/) And it will increase every year as the tax is tied to inflation.
Measure M – LA County Sales Tax for Transportation
YES – A permanent half-cent sales tax hike, as much as I hate it, is needed to reduce congestion in LA’s roads & highways. There’s no choice in the matter.
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I use this blog just to post my random, non-business related thought to share with my friends. The information here does not represent the opinions of my employer.
RT @SamConnon: I’m not advocating for a packed house at the UCLA-USC game tonight (we are in a pandemic, after all) but this attendance pol… 14 hours ago